Abstract
One of the outstanding problems in cosmology is the explanation of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter: the baryogenesis problem. The most natural approach to this problem is to consider that this asymmetry results from a dynamical process during the evolution of the early universe. A dynamical scenario for baryogenesis must satisfy the three Sakharov conditions: (1) baryon number violation, (2) breaking of the C and CP symmetries and (3) out of equilibrium conditions. Each of these conditions is satisfied in the electroweak standard model, although only partially, making the model insufficient to solve the problem. However, the idea to include magnetic fields during the development of the electroweak phase transition revives the possibility to embed baryogenesis in the standard model. Magnetic fields pervade the entire universe and although their origin is presently not well established, their presence in the early universe can certainly not be ruled out. We present here the possible effect of magnetic fields on the baryogenesis process, in particular, on the second and third Sakharov conditions.
